Not Yet
by Rabby
Summary: he sun was laying its face to the ocean before the battle was done. Hakoda's muscles throbbed painfully but the adrenaline pumping through his body told him it had been far too long since he and his tribesmen had gone head to head with Fire Nation. (Missing scene referenced in "Bato of the Water Tribe". Implied established relationship.)


The sun was laying its face to the ocean before the battle was done. Hakoda's muscles throbbed painfully but the adrenaline pumping through his body told him it had been far too long since he and his tribesmen had gone head to head with the Fire Nation. He would have to figure out what to do with the prisoners before night fell. He didn't relish the prospect. Some of the men adamantly thought the Fire Nation soldiers ought to be disposed of as quickly as possible - no matter how humanely that may or may not be. Hakoda had made enough of those difficult decisions to last a lifetime; he hoped this evening would provide a simpler solution.

"Chief Hakoda," his clansman said as he approached him and offered him a small bow of respect.

"Report," Hakoda nodded, readying himself to take stock of their diminished resources. His tribe may be adept at taking out Fire Nation camps, but the effort took up more of their resources than the Fire Army ever needed to spend. They would have to round up all the supplies they could scrounge from the bested soldiers.

"No casualties, but..." the man replied quickly, stammering before Hakoda raised an eyebrow for him to continue. "Some injuries - some serious."

He drew his lips in frustration. His men were already exhausted from their journey at sea with minimal rations. Their medical herbs were running precariously low. It was futile to hope his clansman was misinformed.

"Who?" he demanded.

"Sebet's arm is broken. We've splinted it, but the bone pierced the skin clear through." Hakoda let out a low hiss of frustration, rubbing his temples.

"Anyone else?"

"Bato, sir," the man, Reika, replied smartly. Hakoda's eyes flew open. "He took a volley of fire blasts directly," he continued without preamble. "He's... It's pretty bad."

His heart and stomach dropped while the world seemed to rush out from under him. "Where is he?"

A pointed direction and Hakoda found his feet crushing through drifts of sand as he ploughed through. Reika followed at a respectful distance ready to lend what help he could, but Hakoda barely heard his heavy footfalls, hardly saw his battle-ruddied men. There was only one he needed to see - needed to speak to before -  
_  
"Bato!"__  
_  
His comrade lay on the coattails of a fallen Fire Nation soldier, aided by his cousin. Despite the separation, sand was sticking into the open wound that covered his body, sticking wetly on raw flesh.

His chest, his thigh, his arms, his throat. Blistering and bloody. Bato was delirious and great shivers racked his body violently, though he made barely a sound.

"Spirits damn them," Hakoda's voice crawled huskily past his lips. He fell to his knees before his friend and reached to hold him - only to draw back as his fingers hovered over the bloody wreckage. No. To hold him would only throw the man into another world of pain - perhaps enough to lose him. Heat radiated into Hakoda's fingers from above the wound.

There were barely enough bandages for small wounds remaining in their packs.

The poultice they used for burns wasn't strong enough for this.

The mottled skin was red and white and yellow, his clothing scorched to scraps.

Bato's eyelids flickered.

"Hakoda," the weakened man murmured.

"Reika," Hakoda said to the man standing patiently to his side as he waited to be of assistance. "Ikkuma," he gestured to Bato's kinsman. "Go now, both of you, East and West along the shoreline, find any kind of help you can. Report back to me as soon as you do. If you can, bring any supplies back you can find. _Anything_!" He gratefully accepted a waterskin from Ikkuma that smelled of spirits, and settled to rest it against his injured lover's lips. "Anything."

The two men took off at a sprint, despite their battleworn muscles. Hakoda was grateful for their sacrifice. And terrified it was already too late.

"Don't leave me yet," he whispered as Bato's eyes showed his journey in and out of consciousness. "Not yet. Not today. I'm not ready yet."


End file.
